Vaginas Rule

Females have been called the second sex, but in the 21st century, they just might become the first. Here, the second in our three-part series on the sources of women's new power—from the vagina to the voting booth. Naomi Wolf discusses seeing the vagina as a tool for female empowerment.

by Naomi Wolf

Photograph: Amazon

Further, research by Professor Jim Pfaus at Concordia University in Montreal shows that female rats lose interest in several types of engagement with the world around them when they are injected with a chemical that blocks their ability to feel the pleasure of sexual stimulation. They remember good and bad sexual experiences and will avoid male rats whose scents remind them of the bad sexual experiences of the past!

Can all this new information change how a woman feels about her vagina? I believe it can. These findings confirm that the search for a loving, fulfilling relationship is not trivial. Actively seeking out good mind-body experiences that protect the vagina-brain circuitry (by providing the regular dopamine boosts produced by skillful lovemaking and good sexual self-care) is integral to women’s overall well-being.

If a woman understands her own sexual response and can explore her own sexuality, she will have access to energy and insight that help her feel connected to a higher purpose in other areas of her life. In the light of 21st-century science, the vagina has the potential to become a combination of muse, energy generator and powerhouse of confidence to the lucky person who has one.

NAOMI WOLF is a cultural critic and best-selling author. Her latest book, just published, is Vagina: A New Biography.